Soundtrack of my Summer
by That Endless Mania
Summary: With her days numbered, Chihiro makes one last trip to the Kohaku River.


Soundtrack of my summer

**AN**

This story was made with the aid of a generous helping of 'Thunder' by Boys Like Girls. Go listen to it while you read this. Oh and what you're gonna read is raw and unbeta-ed, and add a bit of crazy music in and the sentence structure/ grammar/ vocab/ storyline/ etcetc is bound to be loopy. So kindly ignore that. I'm sure we all have Gandhi inside us somewhere. Go dig it out. And forgive me.

**Warning: Possibly dark angst. And some of my self developed theories on philosophy, which might give you a headache. Not to forget the usual heavy downpour of clichés and really, really bad attempts at humour/wit. You have been warned. **

**AN**

**Chapter 1: Next plane home**

Doctor Hikari Tandako was surprised. Her patient had accepted the news with unexpected grace. She had seen worse. Much worse. A few months back one patient had stood up and in a fit of fury and desperation, clawed out, grabbed a chair and aimed it towards her. Luckily, his aim at his moment had been about as off has his mind. Compared to her previous encounter, the patient she was facing right now was a shimmering beacon of sanity. Place her next to a lighthouse and you'd have trouble telling one from another.

The young doctor sighed. Even though feelings were not in the package, she could not help but feel a stab of sympathy for the seventeen-year-old girl sitting face to face with her. From her thick, chestnut brown mane to her onyx eyes that were set with determination, Chihiro Ogino looked like a flower that was about to bloom; fresh, young. Not like a dandelion that was about to shrivel and wilt. And definitely not like a girl who was diagnosed with terminal stages of cancer.

'Of course, I'll ensure that you'll get the best possible…' Doctor Hikari frowned. Chihiro's eyes were dazed, far-off, almost unconcerned, as if she were a student, and the doctor were a teacher delivering the most boring lecture of her life. Well. Her patient was just full of surprises.

In such a situation, the patients she broke the news to could usually be grouped into two categories:

Those who knew that they were doomed and will cling onto every of her word, attempting to squeeze out every drop of hope possible, or;

Those who knew that they were doomed and will automatically enter a period of mental instability.

Chihiro wasn't 1., and she did not even come close to 2..

'Let me be.'

Her response sent a jolt to the Doctor.

'…Excuse me?' The Doctor began, only to trail off in the end. 'You said…'

'Let me be.' The voice that delivered the line was not tainted with resignation, or anger. Nor did it hold the slightest tinge of despair. It was crystal clear; it rang of determination.

'I do not want any treatment.'

'Then…' Doctor Hikari started as her patient stood up.

Chihiro smiled, pushed the chair gently back (no tantrums here, thank God) and shook the Doctor's hands. It was warm, pulsing with energy. 'Thank you, Doctor.'

Then she left the room.

-

For the first time in her life, Chihiro felt glad that her parents had perished in a plane crash two years ago, when they had their second honeymoon. She would not be able to bear their cries, nor would she be able to look at their sorrow without breaking her own heart. And… it would be one less thing she had to leave behind.

When you had nothing to lose, death was only a five-lettered word that you took naturally. You would not be clouded, or worried by what you would lose once you took your last breath. You would understand: life and death, ashes to dust… was only a cycle.

An unexpected sense of peace wash over her. She had spent seventeen years on this earth. Many would call her death a 'pity', or possibly 'premature', but she knew better. She have had experiences no one else would even come close to having.

Chihiro closed her eyes. One. Just one more thing to attend to. And then… she would be free.

-

_Three weeks later._

Chihiro jiggled the key that had been given to her by the landlady, a plump and kindly woman who had been surprised to why a girl like her would suddenly choose to rent a dilapidated cottage in the countryside. _I have friends here_, Chihiro had told her. It wasn't exactly a lie.

Upon unpacking her belongings (there was, to be honest, hardly anything), Chihiro immediately slipped into her sandals and padded out of the house.

The river lay in front of her; a magnificent vessel of sapphire. It held so many things, so many things she would never be able to fathom. But it was okay; she liked it that way.

Poking a tentative toe into the river, the chilling coolness of the river sent a pleasant shiver up Chihiro. She made another bold step forward; never mind that her jeans was soaked. Another step. Then another. At the back of her mind, Chihiro heard a distant cry. _'Hey! Stop! Girl! You're going too deep into the river! Hey!' _Ignoring the voice, Chihiro sunk deeper into the river. Water was lapping into her face. But nonetheless it drew her, drew her deeper and deeper.

It was past the unconscious state of Chihiro's mind for her to realise that by then, she was fully engulfed in water.

-

_The water is not cold. It is not cold, but pleasant and inviting. I know very well that I am defying all my sanity, but the reflex action – the urge for me to struggle, scream or splash about is non-existent at this point. I want to be enveloped in this forever. I want to breathe this, to live this. I want…_

_-_

_Through my subconsciousness, I saw him._

**AN**

**Wow. Should I leave it hanging there as a oneshot or do I continue it? **

**You think?**

**AN**

**[1] I ran a search on the internet and didn't find any river called the Kohaku river. So it's not factual?**


End file.
